Maintenance of CertificationChild and adolescent psychiatry was established as an American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) subspecialty in 1959. Beginning in 1995, certification in child and adolescent psychiatry has been awarded for a ten-year period only rather than lifetime certification. At the conclusion of the ten-year certification cycle, child and adolescent psychiatrists must take a recertification examination in order to maintain their certification. The Maintenance of Certification movement was initiated by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the major certifying specialty boards as a way of demonstrating to the public that physicians maintain professional statues (e.g. state licensure), documentation of commitment to lifelong learning and assessment of practice-based performance.

The ABPN currently has two distinct MOC programs, MOC and Continuous-MOC. Which program you fall within depends on when you initially certified or last recertified, whichever is most recent. Those who initially certified or last recertified before 2012 are in the MOC program. Those individuals who initially certified or last recertified after 2012 are in the Continuous MOC program. Both of these programs include four components:

Lifelong Learning Modules and Other ResourcesLifelong Learning Modules are one way in which AACAP aids members in the recertification process. Each module consists of approximately 30 journal articles, chosen by the Lifelong Learning Committee, that serve to educate individuals on important topics in child and adolescent psychiatry. Included in each module is a pre- and post-test that allows individuals to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and ABPN-approved self-assessment activity credits.